Whip up a lunch: Cantonese egg noodles with shiitake and daylily buds (廣東雞蛋面)

bowl of noodles is my favourite lunch - a dose of taste, flavour, liquid and nutrients. It makes me feel like a well fed, watered and weeded plant. I do not buy pre-packaged ready-made instant broths but make instead my own. It is really a no-brainer and can help you clean up leftovers from the fridge. Here is what I fixed myself for supper tonight.

1. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms and daylily buds.
2. Make broth by bringing cold water to nearly the boiling point with a 4-5-cm piece of dried konbu. Remove the konbu.
3. Put a curl of dry egg noddles into the boiling water. Cook 6-8 minutes until just a notch beyond al dente.
   
4. In the meantime, toast sliced garlic and sliced shiitake in a bit of vegetable oil until fragrant. Add daylily buds and sauté lightly. Add fish sauce or soya sauce for veg(etari)ians.
5. Tip 4 into 3. Reduce the heat and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Serve with chopped coriander leaves, spring onions or fried tempeh.